Creative safe spaces, be they open mics, literary gatherings, or art collectives, have long been fertile grounds for intellectual exchange, cultural preservation, and unfiltered human expression. This is in addition to nurturing emerging talent, providing emotional comfort for artists, and at the same time building communities of individuals with shared passions.
However, though these spaces have shaped history and society, many are struggling to survive or are even absent across Nigeria, particularly outside major urban areas. This decline leaves a gap that today is hindering the development of local talent and limiting opportunities for artistic growth.
It was the scarcity of these spaces that defined the early creative journey of Adetimilehin “Vic’Adex” Inioluwa, a Nigerian poet and communication specialist. Between 2010 and 2014, when he was an undergraduate student at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Vic’Adex learned that the only poetry event he could easily access was the “Be Blessed Poetry Event,” hosted just once every quarter at the Zoological Garden, University of Ibadan, in the same Oyo.
This meant Vic’Adex and his peers were limited to only four poetry events annually. For him, this wasn’t enough since he viewed these gatherings as vital platforms for honing their craft. Adding to this difficulty, Vic’Adex had to embark on a roughly two-hour drive on a dilapidated road from Ogbomosho to Ibadan. He also recounted making the four-hour journey from Ogbomoso to Lagos to participate in his first poetry slam.
“Even though we met more poets and learned a lot, it wasn’t on the same level as poets living in Lagos where there were poetry events every month or every other week,” Vic’Adex said. “It also wasn’t the same for poets in Abuja who had events monthly or bi-monthly. So, it didn’t feel like people in places like Ogbomoso had a safe space to come and improve their craft.”
In 2014, during his Industrial Training Experience in Lagos, Vic’Adex got the opportunity to attend many poetry shows and anchored several prominent events like ArtHub. He also took on the role of moderator for the book launch of Who Shall I Make My Wife – A Food-Related Anthology, facilitated by Sir Eriata Oribhabor of Poets in Nigeria. This period saw Vic’Adex introducing himself to the wider poetry community and establishing active connections, which laid the groundwork for his recognition among the top ten spoken word poets in Nigeria in 2025, according to EGC.
The Genesis of Ogbomoso’s Poetry Community
Drawing on these experiences and inspired by young poetry promoters like Jamesconco and Victor Adewale, Vic’Adex felt compelled to cultivate a similar vibrant scene in Ogbomoso. While a group called Katoon’s Nexus Of Bards (KNOB) had made earlier attempts to create a space for page poets through sporadic meetings held in a WhatsApp group, it was Vic’Adex’s initiative, Words on Rampage, that truly ignited a poetry movement in Ogbomoso.
Held in 2015 during his final year at LAUTECH, Words on Rampage, apart from spoken-word poetry, also featured paintings and other artistic expressions, where many poets, including those performing Yoruba poetry (Ewi), gained their first exposure, with some of their lines remaining memorable years later. Its widespread appeal brought together poets like LKG, Poethick Samurai, Inioluwa, and Sir Enigmatic Olumide from across the country. In fact, many veteran poets today credit their start or renewed dedication to poetry to their participation in this groundbreaking event.
Even with its initial success, the years immediately following Words on Rampage proved challenging for the emerging poetry community in Ogbomoso. Several attempts were made to establish lasting initiatives, but they often failed. This was largely due to the transient nature of student life, which often sees initiatives struggle for continuity once key organisers, including Vic’Adex and his peers like Adejare and Ayodele, graduate.
A spark of renewed hope appeared in 2019 when the LAUTECH Student Committee organised an academic conference featuring a spoken-word poetry slam which saw about 10 poets participating, with Mayowa Odupolu emerging as the winner, Stephen Eniayewu as the first runner-up, and Hamzat Mariam as the second runner-up. Witnessing poets gathering again evoked memories of Words on Rampage, inspiring Mayowa to launch “Poetry on the Mat,” an event that ran once a semester. Yet, like Vic’Adex with Words on Rampage, Mayowa was also nearing graduation, and Poetry on the Mat eventually ceased by late 2019 into 2020.
Just a year later, in 2021, Vic’Adex returned to Ogbomoso. Having previously channelled his passion for poetry, a tool he saw for healing and therapy, into launching an Open Mic in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital, after his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. Back in Ogbomoso, he poured that same conviction into establishing the Open Mic Ogbomoso initiative. He explained that this was driven by the necessity to create the kind of safe space for creatives that had been absent during his student years.
“I felt like since I’m now back in the city, this is an opportunity to come up with a platform that more people will come and take advantage of, especially in a school like LAUTECH where everyone is from a science background, and if students are seen writing poetry, then it is pure passion,” Vic’Adex shared.
With his resources, Vic’Adex rented a space to kick-start the Open Mic, which since January 2021, has consistently been hosted every month, only pausing in December when students are on holiday. This consistency, he noted, is thanks to volunteers who ensure everything runs smoothly. Now, the event is highly anticipated in Ogbomoso, drawing monthly crowds who often bring friends along after having a great time.
“It’s a community that requires no admission fee, nor do you need to be an expert poet. Just bring your desire to learn and express your skills,” Vic’Adex explained. This inclusive atmosphere is foundational to the Open Mic’s continuity, sustaining its average monthly attendance of 50-70 people, a figure he hopes will steadily increase.
A Space to Grow; A Place to Belong
A significant achievement of the Open Mic is its role as a safe space for creatives, where individuals find like-minded peers, share their work, gain constructive feedback, and build collaborations.
Given the poets’ backgrounds, performances often touch on the economic, political, and social realities of Nigeria, alongside themes of love. Humour is also frequently infused, providing laughter and strength that could be seen as a Nigerian trait.
Beyond artistic expression, the Open Mic offers a judgment-free zone. “It’s a place where there’s no judgment, where nobody is feeling like this isn’t what you are supposed to be doing in school,” Vic’Adex noted. “Or like, since you’re a science student, why would you be doing poetry?”
Vic’Adex highlights how creative safe spaces like this provide a unique opportunity for individuals to develop skills that could be relevant to their careers. He directly links this to his career trajectory: “Being a communication specialist was born out of things I did as a student with poetry.” He emphasised that the foundational skills for his career, which include writing, editing, photography, and videography, were all acquired through his poetic endeavours, not formal mass communication studies at the university. This experience, he said, ultimately gave him the confidence to pursue a postgraduate degree in communication.
He added that many participants built confidence simply by attending the Open Mic sessions. The space also helped them learn life skills such as problem-solving, as poets often research topics and infuse their feelings into pieces aimed at addressing social problems. This creative process, combined with gaining the confidence to take the stage, also honed their public speaking skills.
Even the volunteers organising the Open Mic monthly are today gaining valuable skills, from collaboration to project management.
A Platform for Growth
The Open Mic has profoundly impacted Stephen Eniayewu, who began writing poetry in secondary school. As a student at LAUTECH, he found his true calling through the initiative, eventually becoming a dedicated volunteer managing logistics, registration, and performance arrangements.
“The Open Mic has helped me to hone my public speaking and communication skills,” he shared.
Stephen is now serving as a project director, leading a team of about 10 volunteers. In this capacity, he’s responsible for reviewing documents, drafting proposals, designing text, reaching out to poets, and organising workshops. This hands-on experience also led Stephen to become a fellow at the Sprinng Writing Fellowship, founded by Oyindamola Shoola, a Nigerian writer living in the diaspora.
Similarly, Adebayo Aridunnu, a LAUTECH student, discovered the Open Mic in 2023 through a friend’s WhatsApp status. She soon joined her friend one Saturday evening and fortunately, the experience at the Open Mic proved transformative.
“The open mic sessions have been a huge part of my journey in poetry. A particular highlight was volunteering for the Christmas video album in early December 2023, where I performed spoken-word poetry alongside established artists. This marked my debut in spoken-word poetry, an opportunity I would always remember as my stepping-stone into poetry,” she explained.
These Saturday sessions also provide Aridunnu with a much-needed sanctuary. Today, she attends the sessions to escape daily distractions while finding solace in listening to experienced wordsmiths. She also said that it’s a learning ground that’s helping her to improve her art.
Roadblocks and the Path Forward
Although Open Mic Ogbomoso thrives as a monthly event, Vic’Adex admitted that hosting an Open Mic only once a month, while it’s a good start, isn’t enough to foster the desired development in the creative space.
“There is also the challenge with the social norms around creativity,” Vic’Adex stated, describing how some perceive creative pursuits like spoken word or poetry as a waste of time, urging students to “just read your book and focus on whatever you are studying in the university.”
To counter these pressures, Vic’Adex believes in a personal mantra: “If everything falls, let it fall; passion will do it.”
Despite these limitations, Vic’Adex holds ambitious dreams for the future of Open Mic Ogbomoso. Foremost among these is the creation of a free studio for creatives, which would meticulously document the beautiful pieces presented during the monthly sessions. His vision includes curating anthologies of the poems or recording them and making them available online for posterity, allowing poets to see how they have grown and also encourage others.
He also looks to champion “poetry tourism,” an initiative that would bring poets to notable tourist spots like Ado Awaye, the suspended lake in Oyo State, and Erin Ijesha waterfall, located in Osun State, where they would create poetry inspired by nature. This unique approach, he believes, can drive tourism and practically showcase poetry’s contribution to society.
Beyond local growth, Vic’Adex hopes to facilitate “city exchanges,” enabling poets from Ogbomoso, Ibadan, Abuja, or Lagos to share cultures and broaden their horizons.
“To achieve this,” he said, “we hope to build financial capacity.”
Most importantly, the greatest encouragement comes from participants’ feedback, noted Vic’Adex. “People come in to say, ‘Oh, I have stopped writing but when I attended the Open Mic, I am writing again,” Vic’Adex remarked. This appreciation, he affirmed, is all the support they need to keep going.